I did this race one year when I didn't get into the marathon. It was a great race - very well organized, very pretty race course, same great support from the Marines....but if you are a marathoner, you will spend the whole 10k thinking, I wish I was running the marathon!

The course overlaps with the marathon course for quite a bit, but of course you're coming in much sooner than the marathoners. The course is much quieter than the marathon course - not as many fans for the 10k! It's a pretty flat course so you can go pretty fast. The start is at the National Mall and it's beautiful!

It still sells out but it's much easier to get into than the marathon. If you don't get into the marathon but still want to run (or if you're building to the marathon), I definitely recommend it!! It's really fun and then you can finish and cheer on the marathoners :)